On the other side, in the Tenth Division office.
"Whew—finally finished!"
Matsumoto Rangiku processed the last piece of paperwork and stretched her body lazily. Her curves traced a breathtaking arc under the soft light.
The scenery was magnificent.
But no one was looking.
Opposite her, Toshiro was focused on organizing documents, ignoring her entirely. On the other side, Captain Shiba Isshin had finished his own work and slipped away to who-knows-where.
"I'm so bored—"
She slumped onto the desk, glancing around aimlessly.
Since returning from the mountains that day, she had deeply reflected on her past behavior. For the last month, she had poured most of her heart into her duties as Vice-Captain, diligently fulfilling her responsibilities.
However, she had just about reached her limit.
After the relaxed atmosphere of last night's banquet, the tension that had been pulled tight suddenly snapped. She was reverting to her old self. "Toshiro—"
She elongated the tone of his name, her voice dripping with obvious boredom.
"I still have two documents to finish. If you have something to say, wait until later."
Toshiro looked up from the paperwork, his eyes calm as he looked at her. Before his voice even faded, he dropped his gaze back to the files in his hand. His speech and behavior lacked a certain degree of respect for his superior.
"Oh."
Long since accustomed to his attitude, Rangiku simply pouted and rested her chin on her hand as she waited quietly.
As the Third Seat, Toshiro was exceptionally talented in both strength and work ethic. His only flaw was that he was too serious, lacking a bit of flair in his daily life. Additionally, because of his young age and appearance, he couldn't drink, meaning he couldn't really hang out with her.
A vision suddenly flashed through her mind—of the Third Seat in front of her being replaced by Suō.
Warm, witty, very talkative, strong, a great cook, and he could hold his liquor. If someone like that belonged to the Tenth Division, things would certainly be interesting.
Rangiku's gaze drifted slightly, her fingers mindlessly twirling a strand of blonde hair.
Since that time they fought side-by-side, Suō would occasionally pop into her mind. It wasn't just because of friendship, but mostly because of—curiosity.
She clearly remembered the Danku that shielded her that night, as well as that dazzling light and his confident, calm expression.
Ever since Toshiro joined the division, she had been almost inseparable from him, and she was the most sensitive to the changes occurring in him. At first, she thought it was just ordinary extra training with Suō, but after going on a few subjugation missions with him, she noticed something unusual.
His strength was growing too fast, and his combat style was taking shape far too quickly. That wasn't something that could be achieved through ordinary training.
Shiba Isshin had mentioned to her before that Toshiro's strength was on the verge of surpassing her own. At the time, she felt a slight twinge of indignation, but now she understood clearly that his words were no joke.
Thud—
While she was lost in thought, a neatly stacked pile of documents was placed before her eyes. Toshiro's cool voice came from beside her.
"The files are done. What did you want?"
Rangiku snapped back to reality, meeting those emerald eyes with a warm, sincere smile.
"Toshiro, your strength has really been improving so fast lately. Even the Captain praises you constantly. You're truly amazing."
Faced with this sudden praise, Toshiro was silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
"It's just normal training," he replied simply, nodding slightly. He then looked back at Rangiku with a calm expression, waiting for her to continue.
This non-answer made the atmosphere a bit awkward. The conversation ground to a halt.
Rangiku blinked, looking at Toshiro's expressionless face, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He really doesn't know how to make small talk!
However, she was used to it. Her eyes darted around as she weighed her words, leaning forward and shielding her mouth with one hand as she whispered.
"Toshiro, do you think... if I wanted to go to that place today for a visit... would it be okay?"
"That is Suō's place. I can't make that decision."
Toshiro's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this. After a moment, he gave a detached reply.
Noticing the change in his expression, Rangiku felt a spark of joy. She knew the situation well; when Suō was under restriction a while back, the frequency of Toshiro's outings dropped significantly. It was too obvious.
Her goal wasn't to have him take her there directly, but something else.
"Then can you help me out? Send a message to ask Suō for me. Maybe he'll agree? I'm just really curious, please! Just a quick look, and I promise to keep it a secret!"
A Zanpakuto reflects its owner's nature to some extent. As the master of Haineko, she possessed the intense curiosity of a cat.
Toshiro remained silent for another moment before finally nodding. He understood Rangiku's personality; once she became curious about something, she would find a way to investigate it. It was that very personality trait that had saved him in the past and led to who he was now.
He had a feeling that if he didn't agree to help, there was a high probability she would try to follow him secretly. Since their current speed levels weren't drastically different, trying to shake her off forcefully would inevitably attract attention from others.
Thinking of this, he sighed softly. "I can ask for you, but the decision belongs to Suō."
"Of course! Thank you, Toshiro!"
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Rangiku's eyes lit up with delight. As for whether the request would be granted, she was quite confident. She could feel that Suō already viewed her as a friend. From their initial contact to the dinner last night, given his personality, the likelihood of him agreeing was high.
Besides, she didn't think her small request was too much to ask. The only real difficulty was getting this cold Toshiro to send a message on his device.
Toshiro pulled the device from his robe, his fingers pausing over the keys for a moment before typing a brief message.
"Matsumoto wants to come. Is it okay?"
Sent.
"That's it? That simple?"
Rangiku leaned in closer, catching a glimpse of the message on the screen, and voiced her doubt. She didn't quite understand if such a short sentence could convey the meaning properly, or if it was just a limitation of the device.
As soon as she finished speaking, the screen flickered, displaying an even shorter character.
"Sure."
"Suō agreed."
Toshiro looked up and closed the device, tucking it back into his robes.
Rangiku was stunned. She thought there would at least be a few more sentences or some questions about why, but she hadn't expected Suō to respond so directly.
Having put away the device, Toshiro looked at her with a serious tone. "Before we go, there are a few things I need to make clear."
"Go ahead," Rangiku said, tucking away her smile and nodding seriously.
"That place is Suō's secret base. It holds many secrets and is very important to him. You must never mention it to anyone without permission."
"I swear." Rangiku raised her hand, speaking solemnly.
"Alright. Then come with me later. When we're moving, stay sharp."
"Got it!"
She was already starting to look forward to it.
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